Automatic loading device.



. I PATENTED FEB. 17, 1903;

T. MOL. PARK. i AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE.

7 APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1902 I 7 N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 No. 720,840. PATENTBD FEB. 17, 1903.

T. MoL. PARK.

AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE. 'APPLIUTIONIILEDNOV. 1, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC THOMAS MOLEAN PARK, F DARRINGTON, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC LOADING" Dev ces SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent-No. 720,840, dated February 17, 1903.

Application filed November 1,1902. Serial No. l2 9T736. (No medal.)

To alt-whom it vnay concern:

:Be it known thatI, THOMAS MCLEA'N PARK,

a citizen of the United States,-residing at Darrington, county of Snohomish; State of of my invention.

Washington, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Loading Devices; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the same.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for loading ore, gravel, coal, and other material upon cars or wagons. Its object is to provide a machine of 'simpleconstruction which will do away with handshoveling wherever possible, and is particularly designed for work in mining and excavating operations. l 7

It consists of the parts and the construetion and combination of parts to be hereinafterimore fully described, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section Fig. 2 is a top plan view of same. Fig. 3- is a top view of carryingblade. Fig. 4 is a' cross-section of same.

Fig. 5 is a View of moving mechanism. Fig. 6 is a front view of double ratchet. Fig. 7 is a cross-section of con veyer-frame. .Fig. 8 is a rear view of carrying-blade.

A represents a wheeled carriage or truck of suitable design, upon which the tilting frame of my apparatus is centrally supported, as at 2. This framecomprises two main channel-pieces 3, disposed with their'flanges adjacent to each other and connected rigidly together by cross-plates and lattice-bars 3'.

4 represents brackets extending outwardly and upwardly from the lower edges of each of the channel-pieces and supporting at their ends the'vertical' walls 5, which'are parallel with the said channel-pieces. These outer walls are of sheet metal properly stiffened with light angles, and the spaces between these walls and the pieces 3 form troughs, through which the blades 6 of the endless conveyer travel. vided with a bottom 7 consisting of a steel plate secured to'the brackets and supporting the load carried by the blades, while the other trough is open-bottomed, except-for a bar 8, which serves as a support for the returnof the empty blades or brackets. 9 9 are horizontally-disposed sprockets at either end of the One of the troughs is ,pro-

. frame, around which passes an endless link belt 10, to which said blades orbuckets 6 are pivoted. The latter each comprises a web or. bracket portion pivoted to the chain and having a flange or heel 11 hearing against the chain and a curved shear portion removably secured to the web, as shown at 12. If desired, the buckets could be cast in one piece; but they are preferably made as shown and described for the reason that the shears can be readily changed'for different sizes suitable for different materials handled and when worn out can be replaced quickly and at small expense. The chain 10 slides on and is supported against the web of the pieces 3, and the bottom edges of the blades are so inclined that when in operation the latterare at their lowest point oftravel these edges will be approximately parallel with the ground and be adapted to sweep up a load onto the correspondingly-inclined floor 7.

13 is a metal shoe-secured to the front end of the tilting frame, having its bottom inclined correspondingly with the bottom edge of the shovels and its sides graduallycurving upward till they meet the slanting bottoms of the conveyer-troughs. Any suitable means may be employed to run the conveyer. In the present instance I have shown a two-cylinder engine 14, mounted upon the frame and driven by compressed air or other suitable propelling medium derived from any convenient source. The piston-rods l5 connect with cranks 16 to drive a horizontal worm-shaft l7, suitably journaled on the frame. The shaft of sprocket 9 carries a gear 18, meshing with the worm. A worm shaft is used in order to obtain the proper speed for the conveyer relative to the engine speed. The tension of the chain may beregulated by suitable take-up devices, as 19, in connection with the shaft of sprocket 9. The conveyer-frame is so balanced on its pivot 2'as automatically to incline itself in order that the shoe 13 will follow the floor of the tunnel. 1

By mounting the device'on wheels it'can be moved forward or backward, as desired. When the location of the machine is to' be changed, the frame is tilted into horizontal position and held there bysuitable means.

.the track to a desired location.

- the following manner: The shaft 9 of sprocket .able on pivot-shaft 2.

9 carries an eccentric 20, which connects by a rod 21 with an arm 22 on a sleeve 23, turn- The sleeve carries a slotted arm 24, which is connected by a rod 25 with a collar 26, 'turnable between the members of the double ratchet 27, which latter is secured'to'a truck-axle. The collar 26 carriesthe double pawl 28, which is adapted to be tilted in either direction to engage the teeth, according as the machine is to be run in one direction or the other. The movement of the eccentric about the shaft of sprocket 9 causes the rod 21 to reciprocate, and this reciprocatin g movement is transformed through the medium of the rocker-arms 22 24 and connections with the ratchet into a rotary movement of the truck-axle, as readily understood. When the machine is at work, the pawl is thrown into horizontal position and will disengage theteeth altogether, so that the truck will remain stationary. Thedirection of the truck will be forward or backward, according as the pawl is tilted. By shifting the end of the rod 25 in the slot in arm 24the length of stroke of rod 25 may be varied to engage one or more teeth on the ratchet and advance the machine more or less rapidly, as desired.

lVhile the machine is here shown as mounted on a track, it is obvious that it can be provided with flat wheels to run upon the ground.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r 1. The combination in a loading device of a support, an elongated conveyer-frame pivotally mounted thereon, a trough along the side of said frame, sprockets journaled in the ends of said frame and turnable in a plane parallel with said trough,a conveyer traveling around said sprockets and cooperating with said trough, an engine on said frame, a wormshaft operated from said engine and connections between said worm-shaft and the axle of one of said sprockets whereby power is transmitted to drive the conveyer.

2. In a loading device, a support; an elongated conveyer-frame thereon; a trough in said frame, sprockets journaled in the frame and turnable in a plane parallel with said trough; an endless conveyer passing around the sprockets and having pivoted brackets supported at substantially right angles to-the The frame latter may be rotate direction of travel of the conveyer; and shearblades removably secured to the brackets.

In aloading device the combination of a support, a tilting conveyer-frame thereon, a trough along the side of said frame, sprockets carried by the frame on axes perpendicular to the frame, an endless chain conveyer having arms lying parallel with the bottom of the trough and cooperating with said trough, said arms comprising brackets pivoted to the chain of said conveyer and curved removable shear portions on said brackets, said portions having their lower edges conforming to the bottom of the trough. g A

4. The combination in a loading device of a truck, a conveyer-frame pivotally mounted thereon, sprockets carried by said frameand turnableon axes perpendicular to said frame, an endless con veyer traveling about said sprockets,:an engine on said frame, connections between said engine and sprockets to drive the latter, and connections between the axle of one of said sprockets and a truck-axle whereby the apparatus may be moved forward or backward by the same poweroperating the conveyor.

5. The combination in a loading device, of a truck, a conveyer-frame pivotally mounted thereon, horizontally-disposed sprockets on said frame, an endless conveyer passing around said sprockets, an eccentric on the axle of one of said shafts, a bell-crank lever turnable upon .the pivot-axle of the conveyerframe, connections between said eccentric and bell-crank lever and connections includinga pawl-and-ratchet mechanism between said bell-crank lever and a truck-axle.

' 6. The combination in a loading device, of atruck, a conveyer-frame thereon, horizontal sprockets on said frame, an endless carrier traveling about said sprockets, an eccentric on the'axle of one of said sprockets, a pawland-ratchet mechanism in conjunction with a truck-axle, and connections between said eccentric and said mechanism whereby motion is communicated from the sprocket-shaft to the truck-axle to move the apparatus.

7. The combination in a loading device, of a truck, a conveyer-frame supported thereon, horizontally-disposed sprockets onsaid frame, a conveyer-passing about said sprockets, a bell-crank lever carried by said frame, means by which said lever is oscillated, one arm of said lever being slotted, a rod having one end adjustable in said slot, and connections between said rod and a truck-axle whereby the lever.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS MOLEAN PARK. Witnesses:

E. L. DAWSON, O. M. WEBBER.

don the oscillation of said- 

